Teachers’ Ontological Perspectives of Computational Thinking and Assessment: A Text Mining Approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 073563312110435
Author(s):  
Rina P.Y. Lai
Keyword(s):  
Text Mining ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Graph Theoretic ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Significant Step ◽  
Representation Method ◽  
A Minor

As a dynamic and multifaceted construct, computational thinking (CT) has proven to be challenging to conceptualize and assess, which impedes the development of a workable ontology framework. To address this issue, the current article describes a novel approach towards understanding the ontological aspects of CT by using text mining and graph-theoretic techniques to elucidate teachers’ perspectives collected in an online survey (N = 105). In particular, a hierarchical cluster analysis, a knowledge representation method, was applied to identify sub-groups in CT conceptualization and assessment amongst teachers. Five clusters in conceptualization and two clusters in assessment were identified; several relevant and distinct themes were also extracted. The results suggested that teachers attributed CT as a competence domain, relevant in the problem- solving context, as well as applicable and transferrable to various disciplines. The results also shed light on the importance of using multiple approaches to assess the diversity of CT. Overall, the findings collectively contributed to a comprehensive and multi-perspective representation of CT that refine both theory and practice. The methodology employed in this article has suggested a minor but significant step towards addressing the quintessential questions of “what is CT?” and “how is it evidenced?”.

Extraordinary circumstances: Covid-19 – Italian Serie A scenario

2021 ◽  
pp. 175433712110192
Author(s):  
Milan Radojicic ◽  
Aleksandar Djokovic ◽  
Nikola Cvetkovic
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster Analysis ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Round Robin ◽  
The Past ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Round Robin Tournaments

Unpredictable and uncontrollable situations have happened throughout history. Inevitably, such situations have an impact on various spheres of life. The coronavirus disease 2019 has affected many of them, including sports. The ban on social gatherings has caused the cancellation of many sports competitions. This paper proposes a methodology based on hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) that can be applied when a need occurs to end an interrupted tournament and the conditions for playing the remaining matches are far from ideal. The proposed methodology is based on how to conclude the season for Serie A, a top-division football league in Italy. The analysis showed that it is reasonable to play 14 instead of the 124 remaining matches of the 2019–2020 season to conclude the championship. The proposed methodology was tested on the past 10 seasons of the Serie A, and its effectiveness was confirmed. This novel approach can be used in any other sport where round-robin tournaments exist.

scholarly journals Turnover intentions, training and motivations among Australian union staff

2021 ◽  
pp. 0143831X2110172
Author(s):  
Nick Brander-Peetz ◽  
David Peetz ◽  
Paula Brough
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Voluntary Turnover ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Organisational Support ◽  
Intrinsic Motivations ◽  
Perceived Organisational Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Labour Market Mobility

Staff loss and demotivation can be costly for unions. In this article the authors investigate factors influencing expected voluntary turnover, that is Intention to Leave (ITL), of union employees by conducting an online survey of 160 staff in three Australian unions. Moderated multiple regression analyses revealed that perceived organisational support, shortcomings in training and unmet intrinsic needs predicted ITL, after controlling for burnout, labour market mobility and intrinsic motivations. Critically, the results suggest an interaction effect involving training in some circumstances. Training buffered the impact of low support on ITL, however the adverse effect on ITL of organisational failure to meet staff expectations regarding service to members remained, independent of training. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, including the separate significance of resources and purpose.

A Graph-Theoretic Approach to Comparing and Integrating Genetic, Physical and Sequence-Based Maps

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 2235-2247
Author(s):  
Immanuel V Yap ◽  
David Schneider ◽  
Jon Kleinberg ◽  
David Matthews ◽  
Samuel Cartinhour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Directed Graph ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Complete Picture ◽  
Theoretic Approach ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Genome Coverage ◽  
Graph Theoretic ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Graph Theoretic Approach ◽  
Locus Order

AbstractFor many species, multiple maps are available, often constructed independently by different research groups using different sets of markers and different source material. Integration of these maps provides a higher density of markers and greater genome coverage than is possible using a single study. In this article, we describe a novel approach to comparing and integrating maps by using abstract graphs. A map is modeled as a directed graph in which nodes represent mapped markers and edges define the order of adjacent markers. Independently constructed graphs representing corresponding maps from different studies are merged on the basis of their common loci. Absence of a path between two nodes indicates that their order is undetermined. A cycle indicates inconsistency among the mapping studies with regard to the order of the loci involved. The integrated graph thus produced represents a complete picture of all of the mapping studies that comprise it, including all of the ambiguities and inconsistencies among them. The objective of this representation is to guide additional research aimed at interpreting these ambiguities and inconsistencies in locus order rather than presenting a “consensus order” that ignores these problems.

scholarly journals SWOT analysis of plant health clinics as perceived by plant doctors in Nepal

2018 ◽  
pp. 137-146
Author(s):  
R. K. Adhikari ◽  
P. P. Regmi ◽  
R. B Thapa ◽  
Y. D. G.C. ◽  
E. Boa
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Plant Health ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Extension System ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Plant Clinics ◽  
External Forces

 This paper identified and examined the internal and external forces that enable or inhibit the performance of plant clinics in Nepal. The study used web-based online survey tool to collect primary information. Likert scaling and indexing techniques were used on data analysis. Pretested set of questionnaires were mailed to 209 plant doctors and the response rate was 54.54%. Being ninth country to initiate plant health clinics, Nepal is successful to adapt this novel approach into the existing extension system. It has increased access to plant health services by providing wide range of services at a place. However,limited understanding and only profit motive of local private agro-vet and input dealers has created some biased-understanding and un-trust with clinic organizers. This SWOT analysis clearly spells the scope of plant clinics to fulfill the gap between farmers need and existing services provided by public extension system.Journal of the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science.Vol. 33-34, 2015, page: 137-146

scholarly journals Types of professionalization

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Lang ◽  
Torsten Schlesinger ◽  
Markus Lamprecht ◽  
Kaisa Ruoranen ◽  
Christoffer Klenk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Organizational Development ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Organizational Characteristics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Patterns ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Cluster Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify types of professionalization in Swiss national sport federations (NSFs) and analyze organizational characteristics associated with specific types of professionalization. Such types reveal common patterns among the increasingly complex organizational designs of NSFs and thus contribute to the understanding of professionalization in NSFs. Design/methodology/approach An online survey of all Swiss NSFs was conducted to identify types of professionalization in these organizations using hierarchical cluster analysis, based on a multi-dimensional framework of professionalization. Findings The analysis revealed four types of professionalization: formalized NSFs managed by paid staff, NSFs managed by volunteers and a few paid staff off the field, NSFs with differing formalization and paid staff on the field, and moderately formalized NSFs managed by volunteers. The types differ in terms of the NSFs’ organizational characteristics, in particular, size, financial resources, Olympic status, and performance. Originality/value Applying factor and cluster analysis is a new approach to analyzing professionalization in NSFs that makes uncovering distinctive organizational patterns among a large number of NSFs possible. These results lay the foundation for understanding the professionalization of NSFs, counseling NSFs on their organizational development, and conducting future research on the design types of sport organizations.

Exploring donor's intention in charitable crowdfunding: intrinsic and extrinsic motivations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuangao Chen ◽  
Ruyi Dai ◽  
Lu Wang ◽  
Shuiqing Yang ◽  
Yixiao Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Perceived Ease Of Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Intrinsic Motivations

PurposeThis study adopts self-determination theory and stimulus-organism-response framework to develop a model that explores the motivations of such donors by considering their self-determination needs and extrinsic and intrinsic motivations.Design/methodology/approachBased on online survey data collected from 436 crowdfunding donors in China, this study follows a structural equation modeling analysis to test hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that perceived ease of use, perceived self-efficacy and social connection have positive effects on the donation intentions of backers through a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations.Originality/valueThe findings shed light on various extrinsic and intrinsic motivations advancing knowledge of individual fund motivation in donation-based crowdfunding and provide guidelines for the development of donation-based crowdfunding theory and practice.

Assessing Algorithmic Thinking Skills in Early Childhood Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 104-139
Author(s):  
Kalliopi Kanaki ◽  
Michail Kalogiannakis ◽  
Dimitrios Stamovlasis
Keyword(s):  
Latent Class ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Environmental Study ◽  
Assessment Instruments ◽  
School Students ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Algorithmic Thinking

This chapter presents part of a wider project aimed at developing computational thinking assessment instruments for first and second grade primary school students. The applicability of the specific proposed tool, which concerns merely the algorithmic thinking (AT), was tested within the Environmental Study course (ESc). The main pillar of the work is the computational environment PhysGramming. The assessment of AT was based on mental tasks involving puzzles which require AT abilities. The AT test comprised of four puzzles with 4, 6, 9, and 12 pieces respectively, and the puzzle-solving performance was measured at the nominal level (success/failure). Latent class analysis (LCA), a robust multivariate method for categorical data, was implemented, which distinguished two clusters/latent classes corresponding to two distinct levels of AT. Moreover, LCA with covariates, such as gender, grade, achievement in ESc, and the use of plan revealed the association of the above variables with the AT skill-levels. Finally, the results and their implications for theory and practice are discussed.

What Scientists Think About Scientific Thinking

2019 ◽  
pp. 219-234
Author(s):  
Bradley E. Alger
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Scientific Thinking ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
A Minor

This chapter reports original data from two surveys conducted to find out how scientists view the hypothesis and related concepts. One was an online survey of hundreds of members of biological research societies. The scientists reported on their knowledge of and training in the use of the hypothesis, their views about hypothesis testing as compared with other modes of conducting science, such as Discovery Science, open-ended questioning, and Big Data methods. Respondents estimated how the various scientific modes influenced their work and how much they relied on each one. Most respondents,70% of them, reported having received little or no training in scientific thinking; however, 90% felt confident about their thinking skills. Nevertheless, more than 90% felt that formal training in this area would be helpful. The great majority relied on hypotheses in their research work. The second survey, analyzed all (more than 150) neuroscience research papers that appeared sequentially in top journals during 2015 to determine how the papers were structured, particularly with respect to the hypothesis. Only 33% of the papers had an explicitly stated hypothesis, whereas, in 45%, the hypothesis was “implicit.” A minor, though notable, fraction of the papers misused the term “hypothesis.” The results are germane to several topics covered in the remainder of the book.

scholarly journals DigiExplanation driven assignments for personalising learning in construction education

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imriyas Kamardeen ◽  
Marini Samaratunga
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
International Student ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Construction Education ◽  
Personalised Learning ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Assessment Approach ◽  
Digital Competencies ◽  
Materials Used

Personalising learning is critical for universities to achieving excellence in education.  It entails maintaining an education system that is responsive to the learning needs, aptitudes and interests of individual students.  Rather than imposing a ‘one-size fits all’ model, personalising learning is anticipated to ensure that every learner achieves his/her highest potential. Pedagogical literature suggests that learning-oriented assessments that are engaging, authentic and relevant are an effective mode for personalisation. DigiExplanations is a novel approach that requires students to create short digital media to communicate their ideas to ordinary audiences. It offers an opportunity for research-based authentic learning by harnessing digital media that exist outside of their institution and their digital competencies to create personally relevant and interesting resources. The aim of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of digiExplanations driven assessments for improving personalised learning in construction education. A case study strategy was adopted in the research. A first-year subject from the construction management degree was chosen as the case, which had a class of 159 students. A new assignment scheme was introduced for which students were required to develop digiExplanations in groups of five. The assessment criteria comprised: rationale for the study; depth and breadth of the discussions for the topic; appropriateness of media used in the discussions; creativity in the use of media (storyboarding); design of digiExplanation; quality of conclusion; and proper acknowledgement of materials used. After the submission deadline, an online survey was conducted with the students to assess how the new assessment approach facilitated personalised learning. Several findings emerged from the study. The digiExplanations based assignment provided similar learning experiences for students with different characteristics concerning their first language, domestic/international student status, work situation and digital competencies. Moreover, the study found that some considerations are more significant than others in designing assessments that can drive personalised learning, which are: personally relevant/interesting, engagement, harnessing internet resources and progressive feedback. The survey findings further suggest that while the new pedagogical approach achieved its intended aim, few students perceived it a cumbersome method as it required more efforts than traditional assignments.

scholarly journals Multiple perspectives on attachment theory: Investigating educators’ knowledge and understanding

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-229
Author(s):  
Nadia Wilson-Ali ◽  
Caroline Barratt-Pugh ◽  
Marianne Knaus
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Relationship Development ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Attachment Relationships

This paper presents findings from a study investigating the multiple perspectives of attachment theory and practice through the voices of early childhood educators. Attachment theory has influenced research, policy and practice over the last six decades, offering a framework for understanding risk and protective factors in early childhood. Despite the increasing literature highlighting the importance of attachment relationships, attachment theory has been primarily considered from a medical health or psychological perspective and little is known about educators’ perspectives of attachment theory. In total, 488 Australian educators responded to the online survey, demonstrating a wide interest in the topic of attachment. One early childhood service was selected to participate in semi-structured interviews and observations. Findings indicate diverse perspectives in how educators support attachment relationship development, which varied according to their knowledge, understanding and experience of attachment relationships.

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